Stock Futures Rise as Dow Shoots for Its Ninth Straight Day of Records
New York (Aug 7) Stock futures were higher on Monday, Aug. 7, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average on track to close at records for its ninth day in a row.
Dow futures were up 0.15%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.09%, and Nasdaq futures gained 0.12%.
The Dow has managed to clinch new records day after day with mostly just modest gains. Strength in earnings from the likes of Apple Inc. (AAPL) , Boeing Co. (BA) and Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) has propelled the blue-chip index higher.
Friday's gains marked the 34th time the Dow has ended at a records so far in 2017, a streak not seen since the 38 record closes secured in 2014. August looks like another month in the green for the Dow, its fifth monthly gain in a row and its ninth in the past 12 months.
Fedspeak will come back into the spotlight this week with investors eager for further clues as to when the central bank could begin unwinding its balance sheet. The Federal Reserve currently holds $4.5 trillion in Treasurys and mortgage-related bonds on its balance sheet. Unloading those would likely tighten monetary conditions in the same way an interest rate hike would. Economists largely expect the process to begin in September.
On Monday, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard discusses monetary policy at an event in Nashville, Tennessee, at 11:45 a.m. ET, while Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari participates in a Q&A in Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 1:25 p.m. ET.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) saw profit slide 15% in the quarter ended in June as the second straight quarter of insurance-underwriting losses overpowered gains at two of billionaire CEO Warren Buffett's biggest acquisitions: Burlington Northern railroad and aerospace supplier Precision Castparts.
Earnings of $2,592 a share in the second quarter came in below analysts' forecasts.
The underwriting portion of Berkshire's insurance business posted a loss of $22 million, narrower than the $267 million in the first three months of 2017 but a sharp reversal from the profit a year earlier. The dour performance was driven by a $400 million loss in Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group, which provides coverage for insurers worldwide and received unexpected claims related to hurricanes and earthquakes in 2016.
Earnings of note released Monday morning include Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) , Horizon Pharma PLC (HZNP) , Gogo Inc. (GOGO) , First Data Corp. (FDC) , Broadsoft Inc. (BSFT) and Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. (BAH) .
Crude oil prices were under pressure on Monday as worries spiked over the outcome of a meeting among some of the world's largest oil producers. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries are meeting in Abu Dhabi to discuss the effectiveness of their commitment to output cuts to rebalance oil markets. There has been concern over some members' compliance with the agreed-upon cuts. Compliance declined to 86% in July, a six-month low.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 1% to $49.11 a barrel on Monday morning.
NxStage Medical Inc. (NXTM) roared 25% higher after Fresenius Medical Care AG agreed to buy the company for around $2 billion. NxStage's board has approved the $30-a-share deal, but it still needs the approval of NxStage shareholders and to pass regulatory muster.
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